The present invention relates to a seat device for a vehicle, and more particularly to a seat device which is equipped with a supplementary seat at a side of vehicle seat.
Conventionally, a supplementary seat, which is configured so as to be stored in somewhere in a vehicle compartment, is used for the purpose of compatibility of providing a roomy space for few passengers and an enough sitting space for crowded passengers.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-225603 discloses a seat device comprising a seat which includes a seat cushion and a seat back and a supplementary seat which is disposed at a side of the seat and includes a supplementary seat cushion and a supplementary seat back, in which the seat cushion includes a storage box with an upward opening and a cushion covering the opening. Herein, this seat device is configured such that in the event that the supplementary seat is not used, the cushion of the seat cushion is rotated forward to open the storage box and the supplementary seat back is folded on the supplementary seat cushion, and then the folded supplementary seat is swung toward the storage box and stored in it.
Herein, the above-described prior art has the following problem.
Namely, the seat back and the seat cushion of the supplementary seat are integral with each other. Therefore, a whole of the supplementary seat along with the seat back and the seat cushion thereof needs to be stored in the storage box.
Accordingly, since a depth of the storage box needs to be enough deep to store the whole supplementary seat, this device may require a high sitting point of the seat and thereby may deteriorate a comfortable ride.
Meanwhile, in general, arranging a table and an armrest disposed at a side of the seat desirable for passengers from an utility stand point.
Herein, in the seat device with the supplementary seat disposed at the side of the like the above-described prior art, it is necessary to provide enough space at the side of the seat for the supplementary seat. However, additional members, such as the table and the armrest, may require more space in a width direction of the vehicle, resulting in a poor space utility in a vehicle compartment.
The present invention has been devised in view of the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a seat device for a vehicle with a supplementary seat, which enables a storage of the supplementary seat without deterioration a comfortable ride of a seat storing the supplementary seat in it and can provide any other usage of the supplementary seat.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the first aspect of the present invention provides a seat device for a vehicle, comprising a seat including a seat cushion and seat back, and a supplementary seat disposed at a side of the seat, wherein the seat cushion of the seat comprises a cushion body portion that includes a storage recess with an upward opening and a cushion bottom portion that covers the opening of the storage recess so as to selectively open or close the opening, the supplementary seat comprises a supplementary seat back, of which an upper end portion is detachably supported on a side portion of the seat and a lower end portion is pivotally supported on the side portion of the seat as to allow the supplementary seat back to rotate in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and a supplementary seat cushion which is formed separately from the supplementary seat back and disposed below the supplementary seat back and at a side of the seat cushion of the seat, and the supplementary seat cushion of the supplementary seat is configured so as to selectively take a sitting position, where the supplementary seat cushion is located at the side of the seat cushion of the seat, and a stored position, where the supplementary seat cushion is stored in the storage recess of the seat cushion body portion of the seat.
According to the seat device of the first aspect of the invention, since the supplementary seat cushion and the supplementary seat back are formed separately from each other and only the supplementary seat cushion is stored in the storage recess, the depth (height) of the storage recess can be decreased as much as possible. As a result, this can suppress the deterioration of comfortable ride caused by the high-sitting point arrangement of the seat storing the supplementary seat.
Further, since the supplementary seat back is configured such that its upper end portion is detachably supported and its lower end portion is pivotally supported so as to allow the supplementary seat back to rotate in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, it can be rotated forward to provide its substantially horizontal position which functions as a table or an armrest. As a result, this can improve utility of the seat device without providing additional members.
The second aspect of the present invention provides the seat device for a vehicle of the first aspect of the invention, wherein the seat cushion of the seat includes a swing mechanism for pivoting the supplementary seat cushion of the supplementary seat so as to allow the supplementary seat cushion to swing substantially in a width direction of the vehicle.
According to the seat device of the second aspect of the invention, since the seat cushion includes the above-described swing mechanism, this seat device can store easily the supplementary seat cushion in the storage recess of the seat which is disposed at the side of the supplementary seat cushion.
The third aspect of the present invention provides the seat device for a vehicle of the first aspect of the invention, wherein the supplementary seat back of the supplementary seat includes a rotational mechanism for rotating the supplementary seat back from its sitting position to allow the supplementary seat back to take at least a first rotational position, where the supplementary seat back is rotated in a width direction of the vehicle and a back face of the supplementary seat back faces substantially toward the width direction of the vehicle, and a second rotational position, where the supplementary seat back is rotated forward from the first rotational position and a side face of the supplementary seat back faces substantially upward.
Herein, in the event that the supplementary seat back is used as an armrest, just rotating the supplementary seat back forward may not provide an appropriate position of the supplementary seat back. Because, the back face of the rotated supplementary seat back, which now constitutes an upward-rest surface of the armrest, would be located at a relatively lower position in a vertical direction of the vehicle, and this lower position of the back face, i.e., upward-rest surface of the armrest, may not necessarily provide the best position of the armrest (supplementary seat back). (Because generally the supplementary seat back is configured in a shape that its width is longer that its thickness.)
According to the seat device of the third aspect of the invention, since the supplementary seat back includes the above-described rotational mechanism, the supplementary seat back is rotated in the width direction of the vehicle and then forward, in the event that it is not used as the seat. The side face of the supplementary seat back rotated in the above-described way is rotated accordingly so as to constitute an upward-rest surface of an armrest, and thereby this can provide a higher position of the armrest substantially. As a result, the supplementary seat back can be used as an armrest appropriately, thereby improving the utility of the seat device.
The fourth aspect of the present invention provides the seat device for a vehicle of the first aspect of the invention, wherein the seat includes two seats disposed separately in a width direction of the vehicle, the supplementary seat is disposed between the two seats, and the supplementary seat back of the supplementary seat includes a rotational mechanism for rotating the supplementary seat back from its sitting position to allow the supplementary seat back to take at least a position where the supplementary seat back is rotated in a width direction of the vehicle and a back face of the supplementary seat back faces substantially toward the width direction of the vehicle.
According to the seat device of the fourth aspect of the invention, a simple operation that only the supplementary seat cushion of the supplementary seat disposed between the two seats is stored in the storage recess and the supplementary seat back is rotated in the width direction of the vehicle to be folded can provide a walk-through space disposed between the two seats easily.
The fifth aspect of the present invention provides a seat device for a vehicle comprising a row of seats including two seats that are disposed separately in a width direction of the vehicle and include each seat cushion and seat back, the seat cushion of at least one of the seats comprising a cushion body portion that includes a storage recess with an upward opening and a cushion bottom portion that covers the opening of the storage recess so as to selectively open or close the opening, a supplementary seat disposed between the two seats and including a supplementary seat back and a supplementary seat cushion that are formed separately from each other, an upper end portion of the supplementary seat back being detachably supported on a side portion of the seat back of the above one of the seats and a lower end portion thereof being pivotally supported on the side portion of the seat back of the above one of the seats so as to allow the supplementary seat back to rotate in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the supplementary seat cushion disposed below the supplementary seat back and at a side of the seat cushion of the above one of the seats, and a swing mechanism for pivoting the supplementary seat cushion of the supplementary seat so as to allow the supplementary seat cushion to swing substantially in the width direction of the vehicle, the swing mechanism allowing the supplementary seat cushion of the supplementary seat to selectively take a sitting position, where the supplementary seat cushion is located at the side of the seat cushion of the above one of the seats, and a stored position, where the supplementary seat cushion is stored in the storage recess of the seat cushion body portion of the above one of the seats.
According to the seat device of the fifth aspect of the invention, the seat device provides substantially the same functions and effects as the seat device which is comprised of combination of the above-described first, second and fourth aspects of the invention.
The sixth aspect of the present invention comprises a rotational mechanism which is the same as the above-described third aspect of the invention, and therefore provides the same functions and effects as that.
The seventh aspect of the present invention provides the seat device for a vehicle of the sixth aspect of the invention, wherein the supplementary seat cushion and the supplementary seat back are respectively changed in their positions by the swing mechanism and the rotational mechanism such that the seat device provides at least a use mode where the supplementary seat functions as a seat, a walk-through mode where the supplementary seat cushion is stored in the storage recess and the supplementary seat back takes the first rotational position, and an armrest mode where at least the supplementary seat back takes the second rotational position.
According to the seat device of the seventh aspect of the invention, the seat device providing the above-described three modes can be easily obtained.